1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly, and particularly to an electrical connector assembly having a plurality of grounding buses for enhancing the signal quality of high frequency signals transmitted therethrough.
2. Prior Art of the Invention
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,871 discloses an electrical connector assembly for interconnecting two circuit boards which transmit relatively high frequency signals. The electrical connector assembly includes a receptacle connector and a mating plug connector. The plug connector includes a central elongated ground plate which has a plurality of leads along its length for engaging with a circuit board. The leads extend from each side of the ground plate at equal intervals. The plug connector further includes an outer shield that substantially surrounds the plug connector and has a plurality of leads extending from a bottom edge thereof for contacting with corresponding leads of the ground plate.
The receptacle connector includes a base and a plurality of shield plates. The base has a cavity defined therein for receiving a mating portion of the plug connector and a central portion extending into the cavity with a slot defined therein running the entire length of the central portion. When the plug connector and the receptacle connector are fully mated, the elongated ground plate extends well into the slot and is in electrical engagement with each of the shield plates. This provides a relatively short ground path from a first circuit board positioning the receptacle connector to a second circuit board positioning the plug connector, thereby significantly reducing crosstalk between two adjacent signal contacts of the electrical connector assembly.
However, this design provides only one ground plate in the plug connector which only provides a grounding function. Further, once the planarity of the ground plate is lost, a reliable engagement between the ground plate of the plug connector and the shield plates of the receptacle connector cannot be achieved. Hence, an improved electrical connector assembly is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.